The Shanghai Blood Center said yesterday it plans to build the nation's first rare blood bank by the end of 2005 and cooperate with other Asian countries to share rare blood through a regional association.

Rare blood refers to blood types that are found in fewer than one in every 1,000 people.

“Since 2001, we have screened some 200,000 to 300,000 local blood donors and found about 50 people with rare blood,” said Zhu Ziyan, director of the Shanghai Blood Center’s Blood Grouping Reference Laboratory.

“Although we have collected about 20 liters of such blood, it is far from enough either in quantity or variety.”

Currently, China is able to exchange samples with four big rare blood banks in Britain, the United States, Holland and Japan after joining the International Rare Blood Commission in 2001.

“With the different races from the West, it is urgent to establish a rare blood bank based in Asia,” Zhu said. “So far, only China and Japan conduct nationwide rare blood screening in Asia,” said Zhu. “The bank can not only save more people clinically but also help study human being’s origins and diseases related to certain blood types.”

He said an Asian rare blood cooperation association is expected to be built in March next year.

(Shanghai Daily September 29, 2004)